Two committees of the Wisconsin legislature will consider separate breeders bills in a joint meeting on Wednesday, September 23, at 10:00 AM.  The Assembly Committee on Consumer Protection and the Senate Committee on Small Business, Emergency Preparedness, Technical Colleges, and Consumer Protection will consider Assembly Bill 250 and Senate Bill 208.  The American Kennel Club […]

Several significant developments have occurred regarding two Florida bills that both the American Kennel Club and the Florida Association of Kennel Clubs strongly oppose. As previously reported on www.AKC.org, Florida Senate Bill 2002 seeks to impose strict limits on the operations of responsible purebred dog breeders and to limit dog ownership. The Florida Senate Community […]

UPDATE: HB2927 was stricken from the docket on February 2nd. Many thanks to the Virginia Federation of Dog Clubs and the countless Virginia dog owners who helped make this victory possible! Please continue to watch our Web site for information about other pending legislation in Virginia.    [Monday, January 24, 2005] Immediate help is needed […]

AKC is monitoring several bills impacting dog owners in California. Below are a few highlights in advance of the June 2 deadline for legislation to advance out of the chamber where it was introduced. To see the complete list visit the AKC legislative action center at www.akcgr.org  and/or the AKC legislative tracker.  AKC Government Relations […]

New Jersey Assembly Bill 3044, which seeks to create state oversight of dog groomers, was amended earlier this week and has been scheduled for further consideration by the Assembly Appropriations Committee this Monday, October 22, 2018.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) appreciates a recent amendment that clarifies that individuals who groom a dog to prepare […]

The AKC Government Relations Department has learned that the House Finance Committee will likely consider Senate Bill 460 on Wednesday, June 30, 2010.  This bill was originally scheduled to be heard on June 24, but the hearing was postponed after the committee received an enormous volume of calls and e-mails from concerned dog owners and […]

Today, Thursday, August 1, 2024, new rules for the importation of dogs into the United States have gone into effect. HISTORY In July 2023, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proposed new rules to address the public health risk of dog-maintained rabies virus variant (aka, canine rabies) associated with the importation […]

The Indiana General Assembly will hear two bills on Tuesday regarding breeding regulations in Indiana. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to hear Senate Bill 238, a bill originally dealing with basic animal cruelty issues. An amendment will be offered in this bill to strictly regulate commercial breeders in Indiana. The Senate Corrections, Criminal, and […]

May 28, 2019 The New York Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee will consider a bill on Wednesday, May 29, that would prohibit any contest, competition, or tournament where the objective is taking or hunting wildlife for prizes or entertainment. The AKC views this as a threat to the ability of New Yorkers who own purposebred dogs […]

The AKC Government Relations team has just become aware that the San Marcos City Council will consider a proposed ordinance which will define hobby breeders, limiting them to only three “breeding dogs, cats and/or rabbits.” It is unclear how a breeding dog, cat or rabbit would be identified and what would happen to resident breeders […]

The Joint Judiciary Committee of the Massachusetts General Court is scheduled to consider four dog-related bills at its upcoming hearing on Tuesday, September 12, 2017.

The West Virginia Senate has passed Senate Bill 406, which would impose onerous restrictions on those who own 11 or more intact dogs. While some exemptions are included, the AKC believes they are vague and may still impact hobbyists who are not truly commercial breeders. The bill has now been assigned to the House Judiciary […]

Two Minnesota Senate proposals, SF 7 and SF 201, each featuring different breeder regulation proposals, will be heard on Tuesday, January 27, by the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee. It is vitally important that all responsible dog breeders and owners in Minnesota attend Tuesday’s committee hearing to express their positions on these bills or […]

New Jersey Senate Bill 1013 will be considered by the Senate Economic Growth Committee on Thursday September 29, 2016.  The AKC is concerned with many aspects of the bill, and urges all concerned dog owners in New Jersey, especially purebred dog fanciers and enthusiasts, to request that the members of the committee amend the bill […]

The American Kennel Club Government Relations Department has just learned that Illinois House Bill 5771, which seeks to impose both government oversight over most responsible dog breeders and litter limits, has been removed from tomorrow’s agenda of the Illinois House Agriculture and Conservation Committee. The Government Relations Department will report new developments regarding HB 5771 […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world's largest purebred dog registry and governing body of dog sports, is pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural season of the AKC Agility League. The AKC Agility League has concluded its pilot season, which ran from May 30th to August 21st, and named the first League season […]

New York, NY – The American Kennel Club announced today the winners of the seventh AKC Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE), the award designed to commemorate loyal, hard-working dogs that have made significant contributions to their community. The ACE awards are given annually to dogs in each of the following five categories: Law Enforcement, Search […]

      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: October 15, 2015   The 2016 Event Promises to be “Bigger and Better”   New York, NY – The Westminster Kennel Club and American Kennel Club (AKC®) present Meet & Compete, featuring the 3rd Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster and AKC Meet the Breeds®, brought to you […]

American Kennel Club & Cat Fanciers' Association Celebrate All-American Dogs & Cats for 4th of July   – Buy Your Tickets to Meet American Breeds and Many More at NYC’s Javits Center October 17-18, 2009 at www.meetthebreeds.com -  With dogs and cats having been domesticated for thousands of years, many of the breeds we know and […]

The top dogs in the nation were crowned from an overall combined entry of 266 dogs this past weekend at the 11th AKC® Obedience Classic. Competitions were held December 14-15, 2024 in conjunction with the AKC® National Championship Presented by Royal Canin at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The 13th AKC® Obedience […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to recognize extraordinary breeding programs from the Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups as 2024 AKC Breeder of the Year group honorees. “It is our pleasure to honor this array of esteemed breeders,” said Dennis Sprung, AKC President and CEO. “These individuals have made important […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®), a not-for-profit organization that is the world’s largest registry of purebred and mixed-breed dogs, and a leading voice for canine welfare and responsible ownership, is thrilled to announce the winners of the AKC Agility League’s fall season. The AKC Agility League recently concluded its 11th season of competition and honored […]

The AKC® Humane Fund is proud to announce the winners of the 25th annual AKC® Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE). These awards celebrate five loyal, hard-working dogs that have significantly improved the lives of their owners and communities. The five winners were carefully chosen from a pool of over 600 impressive nominations.   […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®), a not-for-profit organization, the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, is pleased to announce the winners of the recently concluded sixth season of the AKC Agility League. Team champions were named in each of the eight divisions. The AKC Agility League is sponsored by Purina Pro […]

The American Kennel Club announced today the winners of the seventh AKC Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE), the award designed to commemorate loyal, hard-working dogs that have made significant contributions to their community. The ACE is given annually to dogs in each of the following five categories: Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, Therapy, Service and […]

-- Learn How to Prevent Your Best Friend from Being the Target of a Crime -- For the past two years, the American Kennel Club has been tracking the rising trend of pet thefts across America. According to the AKC's National Pet Theft Database, based on customer and media reports, approximately 177 pets have been […]

Welcome back to Orlando. The Board and the Staff are thrilled to have us all together in person again. We appreciate, as always, everyone’s commitment to keeping our gathering safe and productive so that we can celebrate the beauty and function of our dogs and experience the excitement of our Sports. There was a movie […]

Since February we have been waging a legislative battle against California Assembly Bill 1634 which would require mandatory spaying/neutering for all dogs over 4 months of age unless the owner qualifies for and purchases an intact dog permit through the local authorities. This would mean that those wishing to keep their dogs intact would be […]

We come together every quarter to share information about the status of our sport and the financial health of our organization; to introduce new ideas that may shape our future; sometimes to elect our directors; and certainly for camaraderie and the pleasure of catching up with fellow dog people. The face-to-face interactions that underscore these […]

For the past eight years, I have been fortunate to serve on the Board of this great American Kennel Club, the world’s strongest and most effective champion for purebred dogs and our Sport. It has been a privilege to play a role in the advancement of AKC’s mission and to be a part of so […]